Let's Start a Riot
by katrin87
Summary: Steph's got a really bad day. Read all about it and how Ranger comes in to save the day. Babe story.


The characters belong to JE, the lyrics to Three Days Grace. No copyright infringement intended.

Thanks to Macy for being my beta.

_**Let's start a Riot**_

by Katrin

I'd finally had it. My life sucked.

It had been one of these days that go downhill before you've even started the day.

It started with my coffee maker dieing on me. I was out of poptarts and there weren't even grapes in the fridge. Looked like Rex and I would have to fast. I promised him to bring back something tonight and went to get ready to start the day.

On my way to the bonds office my car dies. Sure, it was a POS car, but I'd paid good money for it and it made me independent.

I'd called my dad to bring the buick, already dreading to have to drive this fridge on wheels. When he arrived he didn't hug me like he usually did in cases like this. Instead I had to listen to his lecture why American cars are so much better than foreign ones. When he was finally finished the tow truck pulled up to take care of my car and I got into the buick to drive Dad home.

I managed to evade my mom and made my way to the Tasty Pastry, thinking that a good Boston Cremé or two, or three, would brighten my day and pick me up. I walked in, only to find my arch nemesis Joyce Barnhardt buying the last Boston Cremes they had. I heard the sales lady tell the next customer that they wouldn't get any new ones for the rest of the day either just as Joyce was walking by me, flaunting the bakery bag right in my face.

Fuck.

I decided to head over to the office with the hope that maybe Lula had made a donut run already. If not, there was always Cluck in a Bucket. Pulling up to the office I spotted a black SUV, but Lula's firebird was nowhere to see. At least I'd see Ranger and with a little bit of extra luck I'd get a great kiss, too. I didn't worry about Joe being jealous these days, as he didn't seem to worry either.

Stepping into the office the door to Vinnie's inner sanctum opened. Out stepped **_Tank_**. Alone.

"Bombshell."

"Tank."

"Can I talk to you outside for a minute?"

I nodded and followed him outside into the alley, right to the spot where **_Ranger_** usually pushed me up against the wall and kissed me. Those kisses. Looked like I wouldn't get my kiss after all.

"Ranger got called in."

"What do you mean, Ranger got called in?" I wasn't sure I wanted to acknowledge what Tank was telling me.

"He got a call at 4am. Had to leave by 4:30. We have no idea when to expect him back. Call me or one of the guys if you need help."

Tank left then, leaving me feeling betrayed and hurt. Ranger had left again, like so many times before, but this time he hadn't said goodbye. I knew that he didn't have the time to do so, but it hurt.

I went back into the office. I had to get a skip that day, as my rent was due the next day.

"Please tell me you've got some files for me. My rent is due."

"I've got only Punky."

I didn't want to go after him alone and Lula was my partner of choice.

"Any idea when Lula'll be in?"

"No idea. Why don't you call her?"

"Thanks, Connie."

I made my way to the buick to call Lula and review the file.

I called Lula's phone and only got her voice mail. "I'm getting busy right now. Leave me a message and I'll call you back." Wow, Tank was really fast.

I didn't want to call one of the Merry Men for a skip like Punky. He'd been arrested for indecent exposure. They'd picked him up unarmed. Duh, kinda hard when you're running around naked. There's just no waistband to tuck a gun into.

That left only Grandma Mazur as my partner in crime. Damn, I'd have to go over to my parents, but I could mooch lunch and maybe some leftovers.

When I pull into the drive way my mom and Grandma are already waiting for me, no doubt alerted through the Burg radar that I'd come over for lunch.

I'm not even out of the car when my mom starts in on me. About marrying Morelli, my job, my lifestyle, my friends. Not my idea of **_fun_**.

She dragged me into the kitchen where she had already set out everything you need for sandwiches. From the looks of it my dad was out driving taxi, so it would only be the three of us. I wasn't sure if I should be relieved or not about that fact.

When she continued to ask about Morelli I decided to cut my visit short.

"I need a partner to go after a skip and I was wondering if you wanted to go, Grandma?"

"Just let me go grab my gun."

That was apparently the wrong thing to say, as my mom started screeching at us and then fainted. Damn, that wasn't how I'd planned that. Grandma tended to Mom and I used to chance to make my excuses. When she woke up it would be only worse and I didn't need her constant accusations.

I made my way over to where Punky lived. When I parked my car and looked up to his window I saw his naked ass hanging out into free air. Looked like someone had told him I'd be by later.

Having to pay rent I had no other choice than getting out of the car and walking to his door. I knocked.

"It's open. Come and get me," I heard him yell.

"You've got it."

I checked my purse for my gun, only to discover what I already knew. I'd left it at home in the cookie jar. I needed to get serious about this.

There was nothing I could do about it now. I trudged up the stairs, knowing this capture wouldn't go well. When I emerged from the stairs Punky was already waiting for me. Naked and all greased up. Again.

"I've been waiting for you, Baby."

I made a lunge for him, but he moved to the side right before I could grab him. It continued this way for the better part of an hour and I was getting tired. If I hadn't needed the money so badly I'd have just given up, but Rex needed to be fed and my rent needed to be paid.

I chased Punky through his entire apartment, but because he was greasy I just couldn't get a hold of him.

Then it happened. We were really close to the stairwell and somehow the door was standing open. I had no idea how and why, and it didn't really register with me. I thought I finally had a good hold on Punky. I was all greased up anyway, so I didn't care anymore.

Problem was, Punky was evading me, and somehow he bucked me off again. Only this time I didn't land on the floor, but was sailing through the open door, right into the stairwell. That wouldn't have been so bad on a normal day, but because of my wrestling with Punky I was slithering down the stair without a chance to stop my fall.

The last thought running through my head was that I'd failed to deliver him to **_jail_**. At least there hadn't been any **_shots_** fired.

Then it started to get fuzzy. I remember bits and pieces. Screaming, the wailing of sirens, someone shaking me and excruciating pain shooting up my leg.

I dimly remembered being loaded into an ambulance and someone talking to me, but I couldn't respond. I slipped away into darkness.

When I came to I was lying on a x-ray table and two nurses bustling around me.

I grunted as one of them jostled my left leg and pain shot up through my entire body.

"Oh, you're awake."

"What happened?" My voice sounded raw to my ears.

"You fell down a flight of stairs and broke your leg right above your knee but the fall shifted the bone. We're preparing you to get it set right now. But other than that you're fine. We already checked you for inner injury but found nothing. We got you cleaned up as good as possible and I believe we got most if not all grease off of you. Are you in pain, dear?"

I wanted to nod, but even the minuscule movement I managed hurt like a bitch.

The nurse left and a few moments later she came back with a syringe in her hand. Only then did I notice that I was hooked up to an IV. She pushed something into the IV bag and a few minutes later I felt the pain lessen. It wasn't a searing pain anymore, just a dull ache, but it was bad enough. The nurse draped a lead blanket over me that was so heavy I had trouble breathing.

I didn't know I was crying until the nurse wiped away my tears. Right in that moment I felt empty and used. Where were the men in my life when I needed them? I knew what was awaiting me when they told me that my leg needed to be set. I'd undergone the procedure before when I'd jumped off the garage roof. The resulting pain was probable what had stopped me from trying again.

What I wouldn't have given for Ranger to be there to hold my hand, to keep my company, to calm me. I didn't have time to ponder that thought for long. With a flourish, a doc walked in, someone I didn't know for a change.

He introduced himself, walked over to the table I was lying on, stared at a monitor and then yanked me leg that I felt like the pain shooting through me was lifting me off the table. He looked at the monitor again, pronounced me ready and left.

That was when the tears started in earnest. I was battered and bruised, couldn't move and would be in a cast for who knows how long.

They settled me on a gurney without disrupting my leg and I was pushed into a treatment room to wait for my cast fitting.

I'd been in the room for maybe five minutes when I heard Morelli. He pushed his way into my room and started in on me.

"If you'd just marry me and stay at home none of this had ever happened. You could watch the kids and cook."

At this point I turned away from him and just let the tears fall. I'd hoped he'd at least ask how I was doing before he started to berate me. Guess the whole world was against me. But I was determined, determined not to let it keep me down, to not let the hurt affect me. Other people had been hurt too and had worked around it. I could do it too. And just why hadn't my parents been in to see me?

The song "Riot" from Three Days Grace came to my mind. What was this line again? "Let's start a riot." It wouldn't take much more for me to really start one, especially if Joe's monologue went on for much longer.

Before Joe could start shaking me to get my attention an orderly came in to take me for my cast. I'd never been as thankful as I was that minute.

He rolled me out of the room and I nodded off. I woke up again when the cast was molded to my leg. Because of the place the break was and due to the swelling they were giving me two splints that were wrapped to my leg with ace bandages. A cast wouldn't have been that bad, but because I broke my leg above my knee the cast went almost up to my crotch. Made for some interesting blushing from the orderly who wrapped the tape.

I was given instructions to get the bandages tightened every second day and to come back in two weeks to get a proper cast, which would have to stay on for at least four more weeks.

With a prescription for heavy duty painkillers I was finally discharged. A nurse wheeled me into the lobby in a wheelchair. Bobby was waiting for me there. At least my transportation problem was solved.

Bobby took over from the nurse and pushed me to the black Hummer. He hoisted me up into the cap, took the papers and my crutches from the nurse and got in as well.

The ride back to my apartment was made in silence. Bobby helped me up to my apartment and made sure that I was settled in. Amazingly I didn't have a concussion, so I wouldn't need to be woken up every two hours.

I convinced Bobby I'd be fine and he left after pushing the Ghostbusters tape into the VCR for me.

Now I was lounging in front of my TV. I was frustrated to no end. I'd have to use crutches for 6 weeks at least. I couldn't even dance out my frustrations. And my mom would be the only one to take care of me. I was watching Ghostbusters with my left leg propped up on a stack of pillows when I heard my locks tumble. When I looked up Ranger was standing in the doorway.

"What are you doing here? Tank told me you were in the wind?"

"He called me when he got to know what was going on. Told them to shove the contract up their asses and got back as soon as possible."

He came over to me and cradled me into his arms.

"Thank you."

"What happened?"

"Skip got the better of me and I fell down a flight of stairs."

And then he kissed me. All I could think was that maybe I wouldn't need to start a riot after all.

* * *

_You didn't like it? Tell me how to improve :)_

Three Days Grace- Riot find it on youtube and listen to it


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